Bitcoin security expert Jameson Lopp's archive of physical attacks against cryptocurrency holders has expanded to more than 700 documented incidents after researcher Pizza Bitcoiner used AI-assisted searches to uncover hundreds of previously overlooked cases.
Lopp announced the expansion on October 16, 2026, crediting Pizza Bitcoiner's investigation for identifying approximately 375 cases missing from his earlier records. The interactive archive now documents incidents dating back to 2014, including home invasions, kidnappings, violent robberies, and extortion schemes.
Scope of Documented Attacks
Pizza Bitcoiner's separate database verified 670 incidents across 72 countries between January 2020 and mid-October 2026. Among these cases, 413 involved victims being held against their will, 300 resulted in injuries, and 31 ended in deaths. Reported financial losses totaled approximately $394 million across 447 cases with available figures.
Annual incident counts climbed from 37 cases in 2020 to 165 in 2025, with 134 additional cases documented through mid-October 2026. France and the United States account for numerous reported attacks, though improved search methods and broader language coverage may partly explain the increase.
Physical Vulnerability Beyond Encryption
These crimes are known as wrench attacks, a term derived from an XKCD comic illustrating how physical intimidation defeats digital security. Rather than compromising cryptographic protections, criminals threaten cryptocurrency holders until assets change hands.
The expanded dataset exposes a vulnerability that technical defenses alone cannot eliminate. While multisignature wallets, geographically separated keys, and spending delays can complicate forced transfers, they cannot guarantee protection against physical violence. Public disclosures of cryptocurrency holdings and face-to-face transactions can expose potential victims to targeting.
Neither archive claims to capture every incident. Many attacks go unreported, while others never reach searchable public records. Pizza Bitcoiner has committed to updating the database weekly with new cases and additional evidence from ongoing research.
